Okazaki is in the coastal plains of southeastern Aichi Prefecture.
The ground rises to undulating hills in the former Nukata area to the
northeast. About 60 percent of the city area is forested and remains
sparsely populated.

The area around present-day Okazaki has been inhabited for many
thousands of years. Archaeologists have found remains from the
Japanese Paleolithic period. Numerous remains from the
Jomon period ,
and especially from the Yayoi and
KofunKofun periods , have been found,
including many kofun burial mounds.

During the
Sengoku periodSengoku period , the area was controlled by the Matsudaira
clan , a branch of which later rose to prominence as the Tokugawa clan
, who ruled
JapanJapan during the
Edo period . During this time, Okazaki
Domain , a feudal han was established to rule the immediate area
around Okazaki and was entrusted to a daimyō . Several smaller
domains were in the present-day city limits, including Fukozu (later
Mikawa-Nakajima),
Okudono Domain and
Nishi-Ohira Domain . The town
prospered as a post station on the Tōkaidō connecting
EdoEdo with Kyoto
.

Following the
Meiji Restoration , the modern town of Okazaki was
established on October 1, 1889 in Nukata District of Aichi Prefecture
. On October 1, 1914, Okazaki annexed neighboring Hirohata Town.
Okazaki was proclaimed a city on July 1, 1916.

In 1955, through a series of mergers and consolidations, the area of
Okazaki expanded considerably. The former towns of Iwazu, Fukuoka, and
Yahagi, and the villages of Honjuku, Yamanaka, Kawai, Fujikawa and
Ryugai were all merged into Okazaki. The 1959 Isewan Typhoon caused
considerable damage, and killed 27 residents. On October 15, 1962,
Okazaki annexed the neighboring town of Mutsumi.

Okazaki was proclaimed a core city on April 1, 2003 with increased
autonomy from the prefectural government. On January 1, 2006, the town
of Nukata (from Nukata District ) was merged into Okazaki.

DEMOGRAPHICS

As of May 1, 2006, the city government estimated the population at
368,201. The city is relatively young, with 139,233 households (2.64
residents per household). The population comprises 185,651 males and
182,550 females, reflecting the number of young men who move to
Okazaki to work in the manufacturing sector. This fast population
growth reflects the low unemployment rate, as well as affordable
housing close to Nagoya. In April 2006 there were 263 births and 199
deaths, for a natural increase of 64 people. While for the same month
2,197 people moved into Okazaki, and 1,910 left, for a net increase of
287 people.

Of the total population, 10,760 are foreign nationals (2.92% of
total, compared with the nationwide average of 1.55%). There are 5,427
foreign males, and 5,333 foreign females. Including those registered
as stateless, the foreign population comes from 71 nationalities,
though more than half are from Brazil . As of April 2006, there were
5,573 registered Brazilians (3,042 males, 2,531 females), comprising
51.79% of the foreign population. Other significant foreign
communities include Koreans (17.43%), Chinese (10.89%) and Filipinos
(8.88%). There are very few Westerners in general (less than 3%). The
number of registered foreigners from countries where the majority of
citizens are native English speakers is less than 200.

LANGUAGE

While the local
Mikawa dialect is considered to be generally
indistinguishable from what is considered modern standard Japanese ,
there are subtle and distinctive differences.
Mikawa dialect has, on
the other hand, substantial differences when compared to the dialect
of
NagoyaNagoya and western areas of Aichi, where the
NagoyaNagoya dialect (also
known as Owari-ben, Owari being the traditional name for the Nagoya
region) is the traditional dialect. Cognitively Mikawa-ben and modern
contemporary Japanese are extremely close, in part due to the
influence of the
Tokugawa Shogunate and accidents of history. In
recent decades the large number of people moving into Okazaki and the
surrounding cities (particularly to work in the motor vehicle
industry) and mass media have influenced the local dialect, with the
result that in day-to-day life more people are using only standard
Japanese.

TRANSPORTATION

RAILWAY

The Tōkaidō Shinkansen passes through Okazaki city limits but does
not stop. The nearest Shinkansen stations are Toyohashi , Mikawa-Anjō
and
NagoyaNagoya .

Okazaki is famous for its fireworks . The Tokugawa Shogunate
restricted production of gunpowder outside of the immediate region of
Okazaki (with few exceptions). Even today, more than 70% of Japan's
fireworks are designed and manufactured here. A large fireworks
festival, which people from all over
JapanJapan come to see, is held
annually on the first Saturday in August in the area surrounding
Okazaki Castle.

HATCHō MISO

Hatchō miso is a dark miso paste made using a process of steaming
soybeans (instead of boiling) followed by maturation in cedar barrels
under the weight of 3 tons of carefully stacked river stones for at
least 2 years. Located 8 chō (hatchō, or approximately 900m) west of
Okazaki Castle near the Yahagi river, there are two 8-cho miso
companies — Maruya from 1337 and Kakukyu.

The old tiled buildings are heritage listed and Kaku has been a
family business for 18 generations. It is one of the most famous miso
producers in Japan, supplying the Emperor by appointment, and popular
as a health food. The 2006 NHK morning drama serial , Junjo Kirari
(Sparkling Innocence) was largely filmed in and around the Hatchō
miso grounds. Tours are available every 30 minutes and free samples
are provided. Hatchō miso's health properties are so great that it
was donated to
ChernobylChernobyl 's citizens following the disaster, to help
prevent and treat radiation sickness .

TAKISAN

The temple of Takisan-ji (7th century) includes several Important
Cultural Properties of
JapanJapan . The main hall is from the Kamakura
period and is the location of a fire festival held each February on
the closest Saturday to the lunar calendar New Year. The distinctive
SanmonSanmon gate and the main image are designated as important cultural
properties. Adjoining the temple is
Takisan Tōshō-gū , a Shinto
Shrine built in 1646 by
Tokugawa Iemitsu .